The unicorn takes a peek at the edge of the forest, as Nashville Mayor Karl Dean releases a list of three potential sites for a new Nashville Sounds facility.
The office of Nashville Mayor Karl Dean has released a list of three potential sites for a new Nashville Sounds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) ballpark. All three are located in or near downtown Nashville. One, an old thermal-plant site on the Cumberland River currently slated for development, was targeted by the previous ownership of the Sound as the location of an ambitious mixed-used development with the ballpark at its core. The others are a site near LP Stadium, the home of the NFL's Tennessee Titans, and a site near the state capitol. Both those sites would have the advantage of sharing parking with existing facilities.
It's somewhat amazing we're talking new ballpark for the Sounds in the midst of a down economy and after what the previous ownership did to turn off many residents to the team and a facility. However, when new ownership came in last year they immediately put an end of public talk about a new ballpark and invested in Greer Stadium, changes that seem to have gone over well. With that commitment and the hiring of George King (the former Vice President of Business & Operations for the PCL) as GM, a better public face was put forward, placing the team in a better position to talk new ballpark with the city.
With the economy still in the pits, many architects and contractors are scrambling for big jobs. In that respect, a new Sounds ballpark — sure to be a $35 million project, if not more — is, in the words of one architect, the unicorn in the forest that everyone is chasing.
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